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From the Flight Deck

By James

When I worked in Thompson, my airline had an agreement with Air Canada to be able to fly on ZED fares. Basically, employees from my airline could travel on low seniority stand by for a relatively cheap price. Regular Air Canada employees could fly for cheaper and would get on the flights before we would, however, we were still pretty lucky to get such good fares. Flying Thompson to Toronto stand-by on ZED fares usually would have cost me roughly $200. However, flying from Toronto to London Heathrow also only cost me $200.

Whenever I flew Air Canada, the first thing I'd turn to when reading their inflight magazine enRoute were Air Canada pilot Doug Morris' articles about aviation or the weather.

Recently, I had a meeting with Doug to discuss the book. He recently had his first book published entitled 'From the Flight Deck: Plane Talk and Sky Science'

Doug was a great guy. Really friendly, shared lots of great tips for marketing and he shared most of the same views regarding aviation as me.

On Sunday, he was featured in the Halifax Chronicle Herald

Plain talk about planes
Pilot shares enthusiam for flying in new book
By JEFFREY SIMPSON Staff Reporter

Doug Morris doesn?t dispute that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 took a lot of the glamour out of flying.

"Many pilots claim it?s no longer fun anymore," Morris says in a recent e-mail interview.

"Security, paranoia, racial profiling, distrust, lineups, spring-loaded passengers are some of the few things that took the lure and fun out of air travel."

But he still enjoys it.

The Halifax pilot has been working for Air Canada for more than a decade and wouldn?t have it any other way.

"It?s like making the NHL," the 45-year-old says of getting hired at a major commercial airline.

For Morris, working for a major airline has given him a chance to fulfill his passion for aviation and see a lot of the world.

"The romance, lure of travel, the persona, image of professionalism coupled with the prerequisite of having well-rounded qualities all enticed me," Morris says, shortly before heading off on a flight to Hong Kong.

He has now written a book to share that enthusiasm with others. From the Flight Deck: Plane talk and Sky Science is an interesting insider?s account of the commercial aviation industry. He gives accessible explanations about the physics of flying and what goes on behind the scenes.

"It will once again open the flight-deck door," he says.

"My book not only enlightens the fearful flyer, but it caters to the frequent flyer, the general public, the aviation enthusiast, and the ?wanna-be? pilots pining for the sky. For those in the ?aviation know,? it?s meant for their spouses, inquisitive neighbours, friends and relatives."

Morris has found over the years that there?s no shortage of people who share his passion for flying; being a pilot seems to be a conversation starter.

"When people find out you are a pilot, they immediately pass on their ?aviation story,? " he says. "Sometimes I feel like an ?aviation priest? listening to everyone?s anecdote. It?s tough second-guessing as to why someone lost their bags years ago or why their flight was bumpy on a particular day."

But there?s one misconception about commercial airlines he?d like to clear up; the companies aren?t making huge profits from their passengers, he says.

"It?s an expensive endeavour to run an airline, confirmed by the saying, ?if you want to make a small fortune in the airlines, start with a large one,? " he says.

Staff reporter Jeffrey Simpson freelanced this story.

Doug's book is available on Amazon.ca

Full post as published by A New Chapter on July 10, 2007 (boomark / email).